So here’s a little bit about me: My name is Kayleigh, I am 22 years old and I am only half way through my university degree. However before I can get to the good stuff I have to take you right back.
From a young age I always dreamt of being an artist. When I was in secondary school I lived and breathed art. Although I was very academic I only worked hard in other subjects (history & business) so that I could get the grades I needed to get into art school.
Long story short… my hard work paid off and my childhood dream came true. I was going to be an artist!
The calm before the storm
In September 2016 I packed my bags and moved to the big city (Belfast). I was full of hopes and dreams; nothing was going to get in my way. Throughout my first semester my attitude changed. This course was not living up to my expectations, my dreams. I changed as a person. My parents noticed how unhappy and unenthusiastic I had become. This course was draining my passion for art from me day by day.
I have been told it takes real courage to change direction.
An Insight into Art School
One thing that you should know about studying art is that the meaning is more important than the execution. For example you could be amazing at art. You could draw the most perfect portrait, or paint the most beautiful painting the world has ever seen. But the question is… WHY did you draw that, what does it mean?
It’s pretty…yes… but it doesn’t have a purpose or a story! (This is what they will tell you)
On the other hand someone could grab a ruler and draw a straight line. Perhaps they are feeling adventurous today and draw a square. But this is no ordinary square. Their square is the lines that define society.
My point is: It doesn’t matter how good the execution/final piece is, if there is no story or purpose to the art you will not get a good grade.
So is the creative idea more important than the execution if you want to become a successful artist?
*Come January 2017 I dropped out of my degree. I felt as though my world had ended but I couldn’t continue being this unhappy.
New Strategy
In September 2017 I started a new course: Communication, Advertising & Marketing at UU. To be honest I applied for this degree blindly. My dreams had been shattered. The future, unknown.
I was taught in school that marketing was a type of business degree that involved boring people in suits sitting in an office all day long reading reports etc. You would lead an extremely boring life…but hey you would be loaded!
How wrong was I? I was led down this path for a reason.
The re-invention of myself to date
I am now 4 months into my placement year at The Irish News. Every day I am faced with a new challenge or a new campaign. We create and pitch ideas. My ideas are actually listened to and taken on board. Once we establish that magic idea, we create a brief and send it to designers. We brief them on exactly what we would like the campaign to look like. From imagery, to colours to the overall design.
So am I the artist or is the designer who knows how to use photoshop?
I may not have created the final product…. BUT I was taught in art school that the final product is worthless if it doesn’t have a purpose/a story/a message.
It was drilled into me that I had a stupid dream because being an artist was like being a pop star, “you are never going to make it” “what will you do as a job”. There was a very slim chance that the world would see my art.
| “Don’t give up on your dream because it is not going in the direction you want. There are different routes to the same destination. Stay focused and determined.”- Janice Harris |
I took a different direction to achieving my dream. The dream I am now living.
I am no Picasso or Van Gogh but I guarantee that the majority of you reading this will have seen our artwork in the newspaper, online or perhaps on the side of a bus, you just don’t know it.
Being a marketer means that my art is seen by the world, it has a purpose, it has a message and it has made a difference.
So… has my dream changed or developed? -That’s up for debate.
Kayleigh Tinney is a 3rd year BSc in Communication, Advertising & Marketing student at Ulster University, current doing a placement year at The Irish News. She can be found on: Instagram – @Kayleightinney and LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayleigh-tinney-76b240161/.